One Week
by brandtfan
Summary: One week ago, Steve McGarrett and Catherine Rollins were one week into a two week stint on the mainland. But one week ago something transpired that changed both their lives forever. Now on the way home to Hawaii, they are coming to terms with the fact that their little secret will soon not be a secret anymore. **PREQUEL NOW ADDED**
1. Chapter 1: One Week

"Yeah, I'll text you when we land buddy, bye." Steve hung up the phone with a chuckle as the line of people boarding the plane ahead of them started moving.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Catherine spoke with a surprised laugh. "I thought for sure you'd crack under the pressure."

Steve sent her a puzzled face as he shifted his duffel bag in preparation to hand his ticket over to the agent as his turn was coming soon. "What? Why?" He was ever conscious of the unfamiliar feeling uniquely present to him as he moved his bag from one hand to the other.

"Guilt, Steve." She laughed. She wasn't buying his non chalant attitude one bit. "I mean, you know he's going to kill you when he finds out why we were _really_ on the mainland."

He quickly sent her a scolding glare for the choice of words. Catherine pursed her lips when she realized her blunder, though thankfully it seemed no one around them had heard her.

Steve shrugged. "I mean, sure he's going to be mad. I'd be worried if he wasn't all.. Danny about it, but he'll get over it."

"Ticket please," the man behind the kiosk asked professionally. Steve prepared his gracious smile for what he knew would happen when the agent looked at his identification. Normally it happens right away, but since they were both in civvies on this occasion Steve knew it would take the name on his passport for the agent to respond. "Thank you for your service, sir."

Steve completed his commonly used interaction with the man and moved ahead a couple feet to wait for Catherine. He heard a similar interchange between she and the agent before they were reunited and headed onto the jet way.

"Hey, do me a favour?" Steve asked quietly as they walked.

"Yes, you can have the window seat." Catherine stopped and shook her head knowingly.

Steve got closer to her and whispered. "Great. But what I was going to say is try not to use any words that will get us kicked off this flight, okay?" He fully employed what he knew was her most favourite of his grins.

Catherine rolled her eyes and continued walking. "You're just teasing because you know I'm right about Danny." She smiled as she approached the waiting flight attendant standing by the plane's door and then began the shuffle down the narrow aisle to their seats.

Finding their seats, Steve was once again reminded of the foreign feeling he'd had for the last week.

"Here," He sent his outstretched hand towards Catherine as she shuffled into her seat. She smiled, getting his cue.

"Is this your way of acknowledging that you know I'm right?" She teased some more as she handed over her bag.

Steve scoffed as he pushed both their bags into the overhead compartment with relative ease. _Two can play that_ game he thought. "Rollins if this is the kind of company I can expect for the next five hours, I just might have to flash my pretty smile at that flight attendant up there and get seat upgrade to somewhere where I'm not being..bothered." His mouth twitched up on the last word as he made himself comfortable in the window seat next to the Lieutenant. As soon as the words left his mouth though, the realization of their current situation hit him like a truck.

He waited anxiously for Catherine's reaction to his own misspeaking, but was disappointed when all he got was silence. "Cath, c'mon you know I'm joking." He spoke softly as he shifted his glance to his right. He was met with a straight ahead, pensive looking face. "Cath?"

"Hmm?" She snapped back to the present with his repeating her name. "Oh, sorry. I was uh.." She smiled, looking down as her hands fumbled over themselves to find her seatbelt. "I was thinking about what you called me." When she heard the tell-tale click, Catherine finally looked up at the man sitting beside her. "If feels… different now, I guess."

Steve quickly fastened his belt too as other passengers shuffled by them. "Really?" he was quite naïve of the impact of what had transpired while spending two weeks in sunny California had on Catherine. "Why?"

"Well.." She began slightly unsure of her words. "I mean, Steve. It's.. I've always been.."

"Well, this must be my lucky day," A rather sharply dressed man with an even sharper smile unknowingly interrupted as he stood beside their aisle. He gave his ticket one last look and quickly stowed his bag under the empty seat beside her and then put himself in it. "Mark Young." He greeted her with an even brighter smile.

"Uh.. Catherine Rollins," She smiled politely. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, likewise." The obvious business man kept his blue eyes trained on her. "Tell me, are you from Hawaii? Because I've got to tell you, I've heard stories of Hawaiian beauties, but-"

"Okay, buddy." Steve cut him off sharply while between the two men Catherine openly laughed at the stranger's audacity. "Commander Steve McGarrett," he held out a hand as standard social etiquette dictates, but his reasoning went way beyond following conventions. The suit clad Casanova gripped the hand offered to him firmly for the first second until Steve's message became clear. He sent a small, apologetic smile as Steve finally let the hand go.

"Lieutenant Rollins and I are headed back to our home in Hawaii, yes." He answered the man's question without letting his stare soften.

The man's expression changed as he processed what Steve had said. "Oh, uh wow." He ran his hands down the top of his thighs nervously. "Military huh? Are you both stationed at Pearl Harbor? I'm only going to be in Hawaii for a few days for business, but I'm hoping to get the chance to go there."

It amused both Steve and Catherine that he was now trying to make idle conversation with them. "Negative." Steve replied with a strong head shake. "I am a member of the Navy Reserves but my day job is running a highly trained, specialized task force designed by our Governor and which members I've handpicked to eliminate high priority criminals and solve large scale crimes for the State of Hawaii." The speech rolled off his tongue automatically as if it had been rehearsed. He continued his deep stare, just willing this stranger to ask for clarification on Catherine's position.

"Oh, uh, right." The clearly scared man nodded. "I've heard of that, it's uh, Five 0 right?"

Steve nodded once more with no intention of continuing the conversation. Luckily, the pilot's voice came over the PA and ended any chance of the rather unlucky Mark Young continuing.

Several hours later, Catherine was waking to hear the pilot speaking again, only this time it was because they were beginning their descent into Hawaii. "Steve.." She clumsily shook his left bicep. "Steve, we're almost home." Catherine waited only a few seconds before trying again. "Steve, you're gonna miss it." She spoke a little more loudly this time, realizing she didn't have long to get him awake and alert. She was keenly aware that his favourite part of flights home was getting the unique panoramic view of the Southern Coast from the air. She glanced to her right and noticed the seat was not only empty, but the bag was gone too. She let the amusement cross her face just as she looked back towards her man.

"Mmm, yeah." He let his head roll towards her as he slowly opened his eyes. "Are we landing?" He mumbled.

Catherine couldn't help but enjoy the rare glimpse she got of Steve in such a relaxed, dazed state. She smiled to herself, knowing her opportunity to see those kinds of moments would be coming much more regularly from now on. "Yeah, look." She finally answered out loud, but his head had already made its way back to the window. Reassured by the thoughts streaming through her mind, Catherine reached over and placed her left hand on Steve's right leg.

The gesture didn't go unnoticed, but his view didn't stray from the window. Instead Steve blindly placed his right hand on top of hers and made their fingers interlock. When they had touched down, he finally allowed his eyes to find hers. "Well?" He took a big deep breath in before looking down at their intertwined hands. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Are you?" She laughed a little more loudly than she intended as she unbuckled herself.

Steve laughed at her jovial manner and then leaned in for a quick kiss before letting his belt go too. "C'mon." he spoke as they slowly stood as much as possible within the height of their seats and waited patiently for the other passengers to pass.

"You know I was thinking," Steve began as they finally exited the constraints of the jet way and were in the openness of the gate area.

Catherine gave the hand holding hers a squeeze before she interjected a remark. "Steve, the last time you said that.." She made her point clear as their eyes met then both darted to their joined hands.

He chuckled as their hands separated to step single file onto the escalator to the baggage claim area. "Yeah, yeah I know. But this one's better." He tried rather hopelessly to make the facetious look on his face disappear before Catherine could see it. "Okay, well not better." He quickly corrected himself. "But, in a different league so I'd say on par at least."

"Like apples and oranges huh?" She added for him as they stepped off. Steve's hand automatically moved forward to collect hers. Catherine was still slightly shocked at his gesture, even though it had been happening for a week now. Elated, tickled pink even. But still shocked.

And for Steve, the sudden fire in his eyes when their hands connected did not go unnoticed in the slightest. Selfishly though, he did it as much because he knew she loved it as much as for his own reasons. It instantly brought him back to the few days they'd spent travelling up the coast of California. And more specifically to the night that changed both of their lives forever. "Uh, yeah. Something like that." He replied quickly. "Oh, we're over there." He took his free hand and pointed at a carousel just starting up. There was no doubt between them that he'd deliberately evaded sharing his idea. Catherine was anything but bothered by it though. She knew Steve was up to something, and she'd learned over the years that trying to get it out of him would be a waste of time. She thought again about how the opportunities for that kind of thing would be more frequent also and the thought put a smile on her face as their bags came down the chute and into view.

Once they had their bags, the pair trekked to the arrivals area of the airport. "You gonna call Danny?" Catherine asked as the warm, humid air hit them. "Or is that part of this idea of yours?" She smirked, knowing the answer already.

Steve silently gestured towards a cab parked and waiting as his wiggling eyebrows gave her all the information she needed. "Steve.." She warned as the driver took their bags. "We can't…" she shook her head as he opened the car door.

"This will have to do for now." He spoke cryptically as she hesitantly got in.

"Please tell me we're not doing what I think we're doing." She asked, although it was more like telling. She watched his smug face close her door, have a quick conversation with the driver and then get in behind the driver.

Catherine's mind was on alert, worrying about what he had planned. "Do you honestly think I'm up for what I think you're planning? I mean, I know it's kind of traditional, and what we're sort of supposed to do, but c'mon. Tell me you don't want to.." She trailed off always aware that they were not alone.

onesSteve laughed lightly as he pulled her left hand to his right hand once again. "Well that depends," he grinned.

"Are we going home?" She asked, getting straight to the point. She felt confident she knew what he was planning if they were headed for somewhere private, like home.

"Nope." He answered just as directly.

"Oh, good." Catherine sighed feeling relieved. It only took a few seconds before that relief evaporated though. "Wait. Steve.." She warned with conviction this time.

Her implication made Steve laugh as genuinely and heartily as he had for the last week. "No, Catherine. We're not going to…" he shook his head. "We're going to HQ. We might as well get all this over with right?" He reasoned.

"Sure," She sighed once again. "And then maybe home. To sleep." She tried to look serious but her mouth betrayed her as she felt her lip curl up.

"Right. Sleep." He nodded with a wink and squeezed her hand as they rode through the streets and neighbourhoods they'd come to call home in the last five years.

"Thank you sir, and welcome home." The cabbie spoke with a gentle smile as he accepted the payment from Steve after parking and retrieving their bags from the trunk.

As he drove away, Catherine smiled as she watched Steve stare pensively at the windows of his offices. "I guess there's no turning back now Commander." She half teased, knowing he was nervous to officially share the secret they'd kept to themselves for the last week.

Steve took in a slow, deep breath before looking over at the woman beside him. "You know, I think the 'no turning back now' ship sailed about, oh, a week ago." He outwardly laughed as he reached to pick up his bag.

Catherine joined in just as she felt her phone vibrating from her pocket. "Oh, hang on." She cautioned as Steve had begun to walk. "It's Danny." She shot a puzzled glance at Steve. "Why's he calling me?"

Steve shrugged, rather unconvincingly. "I may have forgotten to turn my phone back on after we landed."

"Steve." She shot an annoyed face his way before putting the phone to her ear. "Hey, Danny." She winced slightly, getting the wrath of his worried tone. "Yeah, we uh, Steve forgot to turn his phone back on when we landed, sorry." She listened some more, all the while scowling at the man beside her. He tried to hide the grin creeping up on him, but it was to no avail. "Yeah, we're actually just outside. The cab just dropped us off." She explained. "I know, I know." She smirked, looking at Steve. "Kay, see you in two."

"What was that about?" He asked rather accusatorily. "What do you know?"

Catherine shook her head and laughed as they began walking towards the doors together. "I know that he really is going to kill you for this, and that it's going to be fun to watch." She teased happily.

Steve mocked outrage. "Oh, because you're so innocent, right?"

Catherine smiled a thank you to someone holding the door open for them as they shuffled into the building with their bags in tow. "Hey," she finally rebutted as they made their way through the lobby and towards the stairs. "You asked, so what was I gonna do? Say no?"

The SEAL stopped at the bottom of the staircase and set the bags down, prompting her to do the same. "You would do that?" he asked, smoothly snaking an arm around her waist. "I mean, you could've I guess, if you really didn't want to..-"

"Oh, so two week alone and you _still_ can't keep your hands off each other long enough to let the rest of us know you're still alive." Danny's voice barked from the top of the stairs.

Steve put his head down, suddenly hit with the realization that this was the moment. "Nice to see you too, partner." He turned to face his friend. "And thanks for that welcome home, it was really special." He jabbed sarcastically as he consciously placed his hands behind his back.

As Danny made his way down the stairs to them, Catherine sent a look only Steve would understand. He didn't have time to reciprocate before the Detective had picked up Catherine's large bag and had turned back to the stairs. "I mean, c'mon guys. You're like two love sick rabbits or something, geez." As he turned his back on them to start up the stairs, Catherine and Steve shared an amused glance. Though for Steve, there was some fear mixed in there too.

"You coming back for my bag buddy?" Steve yelled up towards his friend. He was pretty much joking, although he realized in the moment, sharing their news to Danny first in private seemed more appropriate. He hoped Danny would come back down to them, thus giving Steve the opportunity he was hoping for.

"Get it yourself, you animal." The blond man yelled back as he disappeared from their view from the lobby.

"You want to tell him alone, don't you?" Catherine nodded as she spoke, knowing her assessment was correct. "You want me to go up and get him?" She asked genuinely.

Steve scrunched his face. "What? No, it's fine." He shook his head, as if to shake out the thought and reached for his bag. "He'll just have to deal with it, that's all." He spoke coarsely, but it was clear he was talking about himself as much as he was Danny.

"Okay then," Catherine let out a heavy breath as they each began the trek up the stairs. "You can't say I didn't warn you though."

Steve chose to ignore the point he knew she had as they made their way up to the familiar glass enclosed halls.

"Hey, who's this now?" Chin Ho Kelly joked from his position at the smart table as Danny emerged from setting Catherine's bag down in Steve's office.

"Funny," Steve smiled, acknowledging the implication that they'd been gone for too long as they approached the group at the table.

"Yeah," Lou Grover spoke up with a bemused smile. "Two whole week away from here? I didn't think that was possible for you, Commander."

"What?" Steve defended. He had a feeling this was going to be the big reveal moment, so he chose his next words carefully. "Kono's gone too. I mean, can't I get a little time away when I want it?" He figured if there was going to be a right moment, this was it. Steve deliberately crossed his arms in front of himself. He shot a quick glance at Catherine who picked up on his cues. In a calculated move, she leaned on the smart table using both her hands in front of her.

Danny snorted his disagreement. "Completely different circumstances, my friend. Kono got married, and is on her honeymoon. There is a very big difference between what she did and is now doing and..OH. MY. GOD." The reality smacked Danny in the face as his eyes darted lightning fast from Steve's crossed arms to Catherine's leaning on the table. "NO, no, you didn't!" He wasn't yelling, but he wasn't exactly calm either.

"Yeah, we did." Steve's stance eased as he and Catherine shared a smile. "A week ago today." He nodded proudly as he held his left hand out to hers.

The other two men in the room stood slightly confused, until Chin caught a glimpse of the shimmer coming from Steve's outstretched hand. "No way.. You got married?!" He laughed, still not quite believing it.

His boss nodded the confirmation as Catherine put her hand in his. "Yeah, we did." He laughed too, feeling a little relieved that the big moment was over.

Grover clasped the Commander on the back and hugged Catherine as he gave his congrats to the couple while Danny was still processing. "This is crazy. No, completely insane, actually." He added. He couldn't take his eyes off Steve's left hand. "What on Earth possessed you to…?" he couldn't quite say the words aloud.

"Uh, thanks Danny." Steve ignored the question. "You're approval is heartwarming, really." He rolled his eyes at his partner's harsh words.

Danny's faced changed from one of confusion and shock to amusement. "Oh, no. Sorry, I approve, honestly. I whole heartedly approve," He moved around the table to be closer to his friend. "I just.." he shook his head before turning fully to Steve and opening his arms in preparation for a hug. "C'mere, you big mushy man." Danny laughed into their masculine, yet sincere embrace. As they parted he gave Steve one final swift pat on the back. "Congrats, buddy. I am happy for you." He spoke genuinely before turning to a beaming Catherine.

"Look," he laughed shaking his head. "I have no idea how you pulled this off, but remember to feed him three times a day, and he doesn't sleep well if he doesn't go shoot at something before going to bed, okay?" The detective laughed as he spoke the last words and wrapped his arms around her.

Catherine laughed also as she reciprocated Danny's warm gesture. "Got it, thanks. But it was actually his idea." She glanced between the two best friends once more.

Danny's eyes closed slowly as he took in a deep breath. "Okay, uh. Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I am going to need some, uh, assistance processing all this." He pointed and began walking towards the door. "Let's go. Drinks are on me."

"Oh," Chin spoke up slightly amused. "You mean liquid assistance." He and Grover chuckled as they followed suit.

"Yeah, then I'll have a million questions, surely." Danny continued as the three men walked. "Starting with did Elvis officiate?" He posed the phrase in the form of a question but didn't actually turn around to expect an answer. "Because if that's the case, I'm really sad I missed it."

Steve laughed as he watched his friends for a second before turning to his new wife. "Drinks, then sleep.." He smirked. "Mrs. Smith?" he added jovially.

Catherine didn't miss a beat. "Aside from eloping with you Mr. Smith, nothing would make me happier." She placed her hand in his outstretched one once again as they joined their friends, together for the first time as a married couple.

is Hi


	2. Chapter 2: One Month Before

Hey there! Got a bit of a surprise for you :) This is a prequel to my story 'One Week'. Basically, that idea came to me with help from a friend and I never really planned to expand it because, I'm always so certain I could never do the BIG scenes like the proposal, the actual wedding, etc justice. That being said, this didn't start out as connected to anything. But, over the time it took me to get this down during my lunch break everyday, it became the prequel for One Week. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"That was the garage, my car will be ready by four." Danny explained as he pocketed his cell phone and picked up the half empty coffee mug from the kitchen counter in front of him.

"Good to know." Steve replied as he placed the butter back in his fridge. "It'll be fun testing the new brakes." He grinned mischievously before taking a sip of his own morning beverage and then setting his mug down.

"Testing them?" Danny asked without missing a beat. "You mean learning how to actually use them?"

Steve chuckled and looked at his partner to see a completely straight face. "C'mon Danny, I'm just kidding." He spoke with another bout of laughter, albeit defensively.

"Mm, I'd be more convinced if I had ever seen you use them." His friend countered. "You know, the guy at the body shop said he'd never seen a car be so new with brakes in such poor shape? I told him I would've preferred waiting another month to get them changed, but he said he couldn't let me, in good conscience wait that long."  
"A month huh?" Steve questioned, reading between the lines. His suspicions were confirmed by Danny's nod as he raised his mug for another sip. "So around the time Catherine and I are going to be on the mainland?"

"Not around the time," the detective shook his head. "Precisely the time you're gone. That way, I can enjoy my new brakes for a while, you know?"  
The SEAL crossed his arms, having the feeling he knew where his persistent friend was going with that statement.  
"It the little things, like coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, or slowing down to let little old ladies cross in front of you on a busy street. Those are the things that I miss about driving my car."

"Danny," you make it sound like I'm a careless motorist who has no respect at all for the rules of the road." Steve rebutted, feeling only a little defensive as he picked his cup up and downed the last of his coffee before setting the mug in the sink.  
Danny downed the last of his also. "Well, if the heavy footed shoe fits, my friend." He poked back after finishing his coffee. He smiled, amused by his own joke as he too placed his used mug in the sink.  
Steve smiled too, unable to stop himself from enjoying the light hearted ribbing. He was about to give his comeback when the sound of the front door opening caught their attention.  
"Hey," Catherine asked with a holler before they heard the door close behind her. "Steve I don't know where your intel came from, but that beach was kind of a bust. There weren't any waves worth the paddle out to them, let alone getting up on one." She set the surf board down near the door and waited for a response.

"Shit," Steve mumbled quietly, panic clear in his voice as he turned off the kitchen tap. "She wasn't supposed to be back for another three hours." He explained hastily.  
"Huh," Danny mused quietly from the other side of the little island counter. "I think disapproving of when she comes and goes is a little controlling, even for you buddy." He took a smug sip of coffee.

"Steve?" Catherine's voice called curiously from the living room.  
"Smart ass," Steve continued in hushed, albeit rushed tones to his partner. "I wanted her out of the house today so I could set up."  
"Set up what?" The detective left it hanging, unclear at first about what it meant. "Oh!" He proclaimed a second later when it hit him. "You were gonna do the romantic thing and have the flowers and candles weren't you? So that's what you needed my help with." He nodded feeling like he now understood the situation.

"Steve? Are you here?" Her voice asked the air again, this time seeming a little louder. It wasn't all that unusual for her to come home and find out his truck was there but he wasn't.

"In here." He finally replied in a tone she couldn't quite decipher.

"Oh, 'Kay. I'm just gonna run up and change." She explained as her voice faded.

"Shit!" Steve tried whispering when he knew she was out of earshot by way of the creaking stairs. But it certainly came out as more yelling even though they were still standing side by side in the kitchen. "Yeah, I wanted her out of the house to set up my proposal op. But now, what am I gonna do?! I'm not ready now!"

Danny wrinkled his brow. "So you improvise, right? And what are you talking about, not ready?" The Hawaiian implant dismissed his partner's objections as he set his empty mug down in the sink. "Of course you're ready, buddy. You were born ready, you just didn't know it til you had Catherine."

"Okay," Steve tried to stay calm. "I know you're trying to help me be romantic, and saying that was really, really nice but that's crap, Danny!" He set down the towel he'd been holding in a decidedly agitated and rushed gesture matching his tone of voice and speech. "I told you, I'm, I can't be ready now, not with no prep time."

His friend and partner grinned from ear to ear as he took the towel from the counter to dry his mug. "This is just your nerves talking, okay? I understand that's not a feeling you experience often, but this really is the perfect time." He slapped the larger man on the back. "It's gonna be great. You're gonna be great! Just talk from the heart, okay? She'll love it." He gave Steve another reassuring pat and stuck his head around the corner to check his timing. There was no sign of Catherine yet, but the blond detective knew they were going to need privacy. "I'm gonna go sit down by the water, check out the sand or something and then call Chin for a ride."

Steve took the towel from Danny's outstretched hand and cast him a skeptical glance. "You're willingly going to sit in the sand, by the water?"

"Yeah, I heard myself say it too." Danny replied without missing a beat. "But I can't be here when you do it, so." He shrugged. "Chalk it up to all this." He laughed. "This is so exciting!" He raised his hands up in a happy display of affection for his best friend. "Finally, you're gonna do right by your woman!" He added with a signature Danny giggle. "It's about time buddy!" He peeked around the corner one more time before making his way towards the back door.

Steve shook his head as he watched his friend strut confidently to the door. "And you call _me_ a caveman?" He huffed, feigning offense. "Don't you think saying she's my woman is a little primitive even for you, Danny?" He teased, matching the other man's tone from the controlling comment.

"Oh I'm sorry," he replied contritely. "What would you rather I call her? 'Cause the last time we had this conversation you didn't want me calling her your girlfriend, correct?"  
Steve glared at his partner, knowing he'd been got. "Yeah." He sighed, instantly feeling sucked into another of his spirited friend's tangents.

"Which is a head trip all on its own, my friend because you are _clearly_ head over heels for this girl so if she's not your girlfriend, I got nothin'." He put a finger up as his other hand gripped the door handle. "Except woman. So, she's your woman."

Steve, slightly tuning out his friend's mini rant as he often did, had decided on something else to call her. "Danny," he used his friends name in an effort to quiet him. "Fiancée." His grin after saying the word out loud was barely containable. "After today, she's gonna be my fiancée."

Danny reciprocated the grin, it taking over his face from ear to ear. "Yeah she is!" He nodded and made his exit into the warm Hawaiian breeze of the backyard.  
Steve only had about twenty seconds before the grin he couldn't contain would throw the course of his day completely off track.

"Did I just hear you guys saying the word fiance?" Catherine laughed with an amused smile from behind him. "Did the two of you decide to actually become that old married couple you already act so much like?" She teased, holding herself off from looking at him until she was finished, knowing that the expression on his face would be the reward for her string of good natured jabs. "Should I be jealous?" She laughed while rubbing a towel through her damp hair. She quickly added another theory. "Wait, is this about the girl in that movie we watched the other night?" She teased as she set the towel down and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter, still with her back to him.

"Catherine," Steve was able to mask the surprise on his face, but hiding the disappointment, deflation and feeling like the wind had been knocked out of him was a lost cause.

"Because, I'd be totally okay if you wanted to add her to your list. I mean, she's totally hot." She laughed some more, swivelling around to search his face for a reaction.

"No, Cath, I, that's not it." He countered, a defeated lull to his tone.

In the time she'd known him, Catherine had enough experience reading Steve's face to figure out what she'd accidentally done only seconds after looking at him. "Oh, you're kidding me.." She put her hand over her mouth momentarily and set the apple down with the other hand. "Steve," she approached him at the counter with a smile that could rival the sun for brightness even though she genuinely felt terrible for her timing. "I, Im sorry. I had no idea, I was-" she couldn't help herself. The laughter peppered throughout her apology was proving to be difficult to stop. "Is that why you insisted I go to that so called secret surf spot? So you could set up some kind of thing...?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's no big deal..." He tried his hardest to sound nonchalant about it but nothing was getting by Catherine that morning.

"I'm so sorry Steve." She covered her mouth again, really just shocked. "I feel so bad, I really didn't mean to spoil it."

"I know." He replied with a certain level of understanding.

"Well, do you want me to leave and come back again? I mean, I can go for a run, or...?"

Steve shook his head, feeling like her efforts were warming his heart back up ever so slightly. "No. I mean, this takes the whole surprise element out of it. So, I dunno." He shrugged, feeling pretty defeated in the moment. "What's the point I guess?"

"Aww," she tsked before crossing the gap between them and gently caressed his cheek with her thumb while the rest of her hand rested on it. "Hey," she suddenly drew her hand back, something suddenly dawning on her. "You could still ask me, y'know. So there's no big fancy gestures with it? It's okay, Steve. Just ask me."  
She put her hands on her hips, almost as if she was presenting a challenge to him.

"What?" He crossed his arms, his body language also speaking for him. "C'mon, I can't do that." He tried protesting but the grin creeping up on his face had other ideas.

"I think you can, actually." She let out the tiniest of chuckles. "I mean, all I really did was find out you were going to ask. But you haven't technically ask me anything yet, right?"

His mind was racing to explain away why he couldn't do it. Even though deep down he knew Danny was right and it was just nerves and fear of the unknown stopping him. "I mean, I had a plan Cath, I can't, I don't have anything ready, and we were supposed to go out to dinner and then-"

"Steve," Catherine interrupted, grasping his forearms delicately. "Listen to me, please I know your past. I've seen the storm clouds, I've lived them too. Probably more than anyone else in your life, I'd say."

Steve stayed silent, pensively taking in her accurate words as their eyes stayed locked.

"And I'm here. I'm always going to be here, so you can rest assured. You can lay your head down at night and always, always look over and see me there right beside you." She took a moment to blink away the tears rapidly forming in her eyes, and in doing so discovered Steve doing the same. "Because I love you, and you love me. That rescued me, rescued both of us I think." He nodded his agreement as the weight behind what she was staying starting to take over. "It brought us both home, and I know that's exactly where I should be, and exactly where I want to be."

"Me too." He nodded again with a warming grin and eyes brimming with droplets waiting to escape.

"So answer me this. Do you think if you asked me to marry you right here, right now that my answer would be different than if you do execute your plan and have all that grand gesture stuff?"

He cocked his head slightly at her question. The funny thing was that in all the time he'd been preparing to ask her to marry him, he'd always known she'd say yes; he'd imagined her reaction a hundred times. But what he didn't expect was how _he_ would feel hearing and seeing her reaction. The question she posed confirmed for him that she would in fact say yes; but it also solidified something inside of him. Suddenly like cresting the break of a challenging wave, Steve felt all the clarity he had been missing.  
"So whether you ask me now like this or with a big surprise my answer will stay the same, Steve. For worse or better, how and where you do it doesn't matter that much to me. It won't change. Wherever you do it, know that I'll always be here. _We'll_ always be here." She motioned through the air between them. "This will not change, I will promise you that."

Steve's bright expression grew and was so wide it was like his entire face was smiling.  
"You really want me to?" He laughed too, the realization that this was going to be _the_ moment hitting him hard. "I mean, you really, really do? Right now? 'Cause we could go out for brunch or something, if you want, or-"

"Steve! Just ask me already," she laughed with a big broad, beaming smile that reminded him of exactly why and how he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Her smile represented happiness to him; his own, certainly but hers as well. To know that being with him was a place of such inspiration, bliss, stability and security for her was monumental to Steve.

"Okay, okay lieutenant." He laughed too as he raised his hands in surrender. "Here goes." He gave himself a quick wind up breath for confidence, strength and the focus to make it to the end of the mission in front of him. Looking deeply into her eyes, he knew she needed the strength to not break down either.  
"Cath, I hope that you'll agree with me when I say I feel like we've been waiting for each other, and for the time to be right. And that the time is now, with all we've been through. The ups and downs of every day that is a part of our past. And I promise to be here for the future times, and the ones that will take us to forever. I know we'll keep building this love between us. Wherever it or our jobs takes you, me, or both of us. And even if all that stuff disappears and it's just you and me, here on this rock we call home. I want to stand together, Catherine. I'll have your six and you'll have mine, forever. If you will give me the joy, the possibility even, of being even happier than I already am. Can you give me the honour to show you how true my love is, and how it will always be true? Because I am for sure the lucky one here, there's no question about it in my mind. So will you make me the luckiest man alive by saying your love is true too, and that you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Because I want to spend the rest of mine with you. So, will you marry me?"

"Steve..." Catherine barely got his name out as the emotions she felt were overtaking her mind, body and soul. "I... I'm.." She stumbled, the thoughts running through her mind being nowhere near forming logical sentences. Catherine had always understood the romanticism associated with being in a serious, exclusive relationship wasn't something that came to Steve easily. But she also knew that somewhere inside his tough, hardened exterior laid someone very capable of showing someone else the type of love he'd been essentially deprived of for most of his life. So while she always kept that thought in the back of her mind, Catherine was still blown away by hearing such beautiful, vulnerable and truly intimate words coming from him. So much more than she could have every expected, she very quickly realized.

Staying true to the analytical brain she had acquired through her time in Navy Intel, Catherine caught herself and worked to form a clear, concise formula to organize everything he'd just expressed. "I will, I will give you that joy because I can't think of a better way to honour what we have, and the love we have." She systematically ticked off answering each of his questions in her mind as she went. "But I think I am the lucky one, in fact I'm sure of it." Her love for the man standing in front of her, opening his heart in such a way she knew was difficult for him absolutely took her breath away. It had consumed her enough that soon Catherine realized she hadn't yet shared with him her thoughts and feelings about their future in her own words.

"That was so beautiful, Steve." She began softly. "I can't wait to spend every day waking up next to you. And even if we end up on different continents for a time, I know we'll still be together because, I know.. I, I love you so, so much." She paused, the tears beginning to slip down her cheek in quick bursts of ecstasy. "But more than anything I want you to know that-"

Suddenly, their lips were locked and like two magnets, their bodies pushed up against each other as if the need for physical contact could not be satisfied.

"Sorry," Steve chuckled when their lips separated enough that they could speak. Though he knew interrupting in that way wasn't going to be a problem.  
She laughed, taking the moment to catch her breath. "What I was going to say is I do too, Steve." She gave one small nod. "I want to spend the rest of our lives together, wherever that may be."

"I love you so, so much Catherine." He could barely finish the words before his affections were taking over once again. They grabbed onto each other's face as they often did in a carnal way that looked like it could've come from the animal channel.

"You know, something you said got me thinking." Steve's breath was the tiniest bit hard after the all-consuming kiss.

"Me too." She replied with a salacious smirk. "But you first, Commander." She knew that after that, his thoughts would be on the same page as hers if they weren't already.

"Ooh, that's actually not where I was going with that, but." He dealt her the same seducing glance she'd given him before sweeping her up into his anxiously waiting arms. "Shall we?" He paused to ask before turning to leave the kitchen.

Catherine giggled with anticipation. "There is only one thing I'd rather do." She replied coyly before grabbing his face and kissing it with the passion and deep love she felt for him, their love and the future they were going to plan together.

Apart from the usual declarations they had become so accustomed to hearing from each other in the passionate throws of love making, both Steve and Catherine enjoyed some quiet after the high intensity of their physical relationship had settled.

"Danny," Catherine suddenly blurted out as the engaged couple laid in bed, basking in each other's afterglow.

Steve opened his mouth instinctively but closed it to take a moment for processing that very unexpected, very peculiar event. "Did you just...?" He asked. His head turning up like a dogs when it hears something it doesn't understand.

"Sorry," she laughed out loud, becoming aware of what verbalizing her thought sounded like to the man she laid wrapped around. "I just realized he was here when I got back from surfing, but he's..." She trailed off, discovering that no logical theory came to mind about his current whereabouts.

Steve picked up on her cues easily. "He went down by the beach after you came in. He said he was gonna call Chin to ask for a ride, so he's probably gone now." Steve explained between chucking and placing soft little kisses on the top of her head. "He was going to help me set up for later, but then." He smiled knowingly.

Catherine took in a really deep, content breath as she snuggled even tighter into the nooks and crannies of Steve's naked, strategically sheet covered body. "Then this happened instead." She completed his thought.

"It certainly did." He agreed, leaving one long kiss atop her head. When his cheek came back to rest against her head Steve gave a low, rumbling laugh. "He tried giving me a pep talk when you came up here to change, actually."

"Huh." Catherine voiced quietly. "Wait, Danny?" She asked with a surprised laugh of her own. "A pep talk? Seriously?" She couldn't quite believe it.

"Yeah, promise." He laughed some more. "I panicked a little bit when I heard you open the door because I had nothing set up. He said I was just nervous and that I didn't need a big plan."

"Mm, smart man." Catherine nodded slightly against Steve's chest.

"He does have his moments." Steve agreed. "I guess I owe him for this one huh?" He asked honestly.

"Nah," Catherine was quick to respond. "You were gonna ask me to marry you anyway. He just helped speed up the process." She placed a few delicate kisses on his collar bone. "This is true." He agreed with a giant smile she couldn't see. "Have I mentioned how much I am looking forward to that, by the way?" He laughed again, feeling so happy and wrapped up in anticipation that with every breath going out as laughter, there were a hundred more behind it waiting to be released into the air they shared by laying together so intimately.

"Me too. But I'm more excited for the part that comes after that, y'know? Our whole future, Steve. The rest of our lives together." She smiled, feeling the beat of his heart speeding up.

"Me too, Cath." He took in and then released one long satisfied breath. "Me too." He kissed her some more, his fingers running gently up and down her smooth, sensitive arms. Steve stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking over their future and what it would hold. "I'm sorry," he began a minute or so into the comfortable silence between them, his fingers also stopping their travels. "Should _I_ be jealous now? I mean, first the name thing and now you're complimenting him?" He asked in a tone that could never be mistaken for anything besides good natured teasing.

Catherine laughed whole heartedly and was happy to play along. "Bit of a hot button issue there isn't it?"

"Can't say I'm comfortable with it, that's for sure." He answered just as playfully as she had.

Catherine repositioned herself to be on her stomach so she could be face to face with him. "Well, Commander? What are you going to do about that?" She finished her questions with a tantalizing grin that could only mean one thing while simultaneously slowing and seductively slipping a hand onto his abdomen and under the sheet covering them.

"Mm," he closed his eyes for a second, taking in every bit of arousal her soft, delicately subtle touch on his roughed up, but very responsive skin provided.  
"How about I give you another name to say?" He mirrored her seductive expressions. His words were simple but packed a punch bigger than either of them could deny, even if they wanted to.

Catherine stared as deeply into his fiery eyes as she could while her busy hand moved south. "Second best offer I've had all day." She replied, and before she knew it he'd flipped over and was on top of her, showing her _exactly_ how happy he was to be spending their futures together as one as they became one in another way; a way only two people so madly in love could.


End file.
